Celtics at 76ers: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers (-2, 175.5)
THE STORY: The Boston Celtics are one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals and the 76ers are attempting to stay alive when the conference semifinals return to Philadelphia for Wednesday’s Game 6. Boston took a 3-2 series lead with a strong second-half performance on Monday en route to a 101-85 victory. Neither team has won consecutive games in the series. The 76ers rebounded impressively after losing by 16 points earlier in the series.
ABOUT THE CELTICS: Forward Brandon Bass produced the best showing of his seven-year career when he scored a career playoff-best 27 points in Game 5. The output matched Bass’ regular-season career high and included 18 points in the pivotal third quarter as Boston turned a three-point halftime deficit into a nine-point advantage. “It was one of those games we needed something to ignite us together,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought the biggest difference was his energy. He played with a force. I thought he just let himself go.” Bass averaged 11.8 points in the first four games of the series before making nine of 13 shots on Monday.
ABOUT THE 76ERS: Veteran forward Elton Brand had his best game of the series with 19 points in Game 5 after totaling just 17 points over the first four games. Brand has been bothered by a neck injury and had been a non-factor before hitting eight of 13 shots Monday. His play was one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia, which committed 15 turnovers and scored just 35 second-half points. “You can’t play like that, you can’t play one-handed against this team,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said. “You can’t make careless, one-handed passes against this team. They’re too good. We did not meet the tenacity that they played with from the middle of the third quarter on.”
TRENDS:
*Over is 6-1 in the last seven meetings.
*Philly is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 home games.
*Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following an ATS win.
*Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last five games playing on one day's rest.
*Sixers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as favorites.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Boston point guard Rajon Rondo has four double-doubles in the series and is averaging 14.6 assists.
2. Sixers guard Lou Williams is averaging just 10.8 points in the series and has reached 20 points just once this postseason (11 games).
3. Celtics guard Avery Bradley (shoulder) could miss his second straight game at a time when veteran Ray Allen (13 total points the last three games) is struggling.
NBA Preview
Celtics (3-2) @ 76ers -- Celtics are +62 in series with Garnett on floor, -39 with him on bench, but it was sub Bass who scored 22 points in the second half to spur Boston to Game 5 win. Home side won six of eight series games this year. Celtics scored 81-83 points in two series losses, 92-107-101 in wins. Losing team led four of the five games at halftime. 76ers have been down 10+ points in seven of their 11 postseason games, but rallied to win three of seven; they're 4-1 at home in playoffs, losing only Game 3 in this series. Celtics are 2-3 on road in playoffs.
Armadillosports.com
BOSTON (46 - 31) at PHILADELPHIA (41 - 36)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 19-35 ATS (-19.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 89-74 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 49-35 ATS (+10.5 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road games after allowing 85 points or less this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 16-27 ATS (-13.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 10-6 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 10-6 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON vs. PHILADELPHIA
Boston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Boston is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games when playing Boston
Philadelphia is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games when playing Boston
Boston at Philadelphia
Boston: 8-20 ATS off win by 15+ points
Philadelphia: 16-33 ATS as home favorite of 6 pts or less
Inside the Paint - Wednesday
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
Before we get into tonight’s playoff action, let us congratulate all the ‘chalk’ bettors! Not only have you been on fire, but you’re winning rather easily too. Since last Friday, the favorites have gone 9-0 straight up and 7-1-1 against the spread.
The lone ATS loss came Sunday when the Spurs beat the Clippers 102-99 but failed to cover as 7½-point road favorites. Ironically, San Antonio has been the biggest enemy to the sports books and the damage could get worse if it stays hot.
Despite the barrage of favorites, most books have reported a good May, which is a little surprising but gamblers do tend to back teams with more sizzle than substance, in particular the Los Angeles Lakers. The “Purple and Gold” went 5-8 SU and 4-8-1 ATS in the playoffs, and once again were eliminated in blowout fashion on Monday to Oklahoma City (90-106).
The total results haven’t been kind to the books either in the second round. During the aforementioned nine-game span from last Friday, bettors have watched the ‘over’ go 8-1. Anytime you have the favorite-over combination cash on a consistent basis, it’s golden for gamblers and trouble for the guys behind the counter.
Speaking of trouble, the books have also taken some early hits in the WNBA too. Those following the women’s game have seen the favorites start the season 9-1 SU and 8-2 ATS. It’s not as much fun to watch as the NBA but the line movement is nuts and you can set yourself up for some crazy middles.
And we’d be remiss not to mention the game played on the frozen pond. Bettors watched Los Angeles eliminate Phoenix last night on the road. After watching the underdogs play well in the early rounds (31-36), it’s been all about the favorites (7-2) in the conference finals. In case you’re wondering, the Kings were listed at a 25/1 price to win the Stanley Cup prior to the playoffs. The club has gone 12-2 in the postseason, which has produced a return of $1,100 (based on $100-unit plays).
Do the chalky returns continue on Wednesday when Philadelphia and Boston tangle in a possible elimination game?
Let’s break it down!
Boston at Philadelphia
After collapsing in Philadelphia last weekend, the Celtics answered the bell on Monday and captured a 101-85 victory over the 76ers in Game 5. Boston trailed 50-47 at the break and outscored the 76ers by 19 points (54-35) in the second-half, which has become a common theme in this series. Whoever has jumped out early and taken the first quarter lead has lost each of the first five games.
The hero for Boston in Game 5 was Brandon Bass, who scored a career playoff high of 27 points, 18 coming in the third quarter. Kevin Garnett bounced back from a poor effort in Game 4 with 20 points on Monday and Rajon Rondo filled up the stat sheet with 13 points and 14 assists. Elton Brand led the 76ers with 19 points in the loss.
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Philadelphia opened as a 1 ½-point home favorite for Game 6 and the number jumped up to 2 but has come back down to the opener.
The 76ers might not have as much talent as the Celtics but according to VegasInsider.com handicapper Kevin Rogers, the trends lean toward the host. He explained, “The 76ers have been very solid at home in the playoffs, winning four of five times at the Wells Fargo Center. The Celtics enter the game just 3-7 SU this season as a road underdog off a win. The Celtics dominated two games this series, but the other three games have been toss-ups towards the end.”
Boston has posted three double-digit victories in the postseason, the most recent coming on Monday. After the two previous comfortable wins by the Celtics, they wound up losing each of the next games. Another factor that makes you lean Philadelphia is its record off a loss, which stands at 4-0 in the postseason.
Even though we’ve seen some totals posted between 171 and 175 points, the ‘over’ has gone 4-1 in the first five games and four of the five results were never in doubt. The opener on Game 6 has been spiked from 174 to 175½ at most shops. If the shots fall, these low numbers are very attainable.
The Celtics could be without rookie Avery Bradley (shoulder) again tonight. He sat out Game 5 and is ‘questionable’ for Game 6. While Bradley doesn’t have great numbers (7.6 PPG), he’s the second best athlete on the Celtics after Rajon Rondo.
The adjusted series price has the 76ers listed at 9/2 odds (Bet $100 to win $450), while Boston backers can lay 1/6 (Bet $600 to $100) on the Celtics to close out the best-of-seven battle.
If necessary, Game 7 will be on Saturday from TD Garden in Boston.